Cooking Classes

26.12.12

This is another contribution to our Wild Night on December 23. I brined the pheasant and then followed this recipe from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. It was delicious! There was more meat on the birds than I had expected. I served it with my home preserved Gooseberry Chutney.

My father has been collecting coins for as long as I can remember. Now he felt it was time to pass them on to us. We spent about two hours going through everything from Meat Ration Tokens from WWII, to shinplaster, Two Dollar American paper bills to turn of the century coins. Thanks, Dad! It was fun.

Mix salt and water together. Whisk to dissolve salt. When it is dissolved, pour it over the pheasant in a plastic bag. Leave in refrigerator for 4 - 8 hours. Remove and pat dry. Let it rest on a cutting board while the oven heats to 450F.

Put sage in pheasant cavity and dust the bird with cayenne. Place sliced carrots, celery and onion on the bottom of the pan and place pheasant atop this.

Roast for 15 minutes at 450F, then drop the heat to 375F and roast for another 20 minutes. Baste with syrup. Roast for another 30 - 40 minutes, basing twice in the first 20 minutes. Remove pheasant if the glaze burns.

Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 - 15 minutes. Carve and serve.

Gooseberry chutneyadapted from blog Senses in the Kitchen

Makes 2½ jars, 190ml each

1 lb gooseberry, topped and tailed

1 large onion, peeled and diced

handful of sultanas

2/3 cup soft brown sugar

3/4 cup malt vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

tsp mustard seeds

Place all of the above in heavy based pan and bring to boil.
Turn the heat down and simmer for about 1.5 hrs. Occasionally stir, gently so
you do not break up gooseberries too much. Keep an eye on it on last 15
minutes, stirring more often, so it prevents the chutney to catch and burn.

Place hot chutney in sterilised jars, seal and turn up side
down. Leave it to cool down and store in cool, dark place. Allow to mature for
about 2 months.

22.12.12

It is 7am and I am in the kitchen at Waldeck Hutterite
Colony. It is Friday and they are making dinner buns. This is their routine. 20
kilograms (44 pounds) of flour become 20 dozen double dinner buns and I want to
be a part of the ritual. There is a proofing room but it is hardly needed as
the kitchen warms to the perfect temperature while the commercial oven readies.

The children are first to enjoy this treat. The women call
the school the instant the buns come out of the oven and the girls run to bring
back these soft pillowy delights and we all take a break to enjoy them while
they are hot.

Throughout Western Canada the farmscape is dotted with
Hutterite Colonies. Most often these are grain farms with livestock, chickens
and a garden. A few colonies are also into light manufacturing such as
metalworking or cabinet and furniture making.

I am a substitute teacher and regularly visit Waldeck
Colony, SK. I have enjoyed learning about their way of life. As I think about
Christmas I thought you might be interested to see into their lifestyle how
they celebrate the season.

First, I will give you a brief history. Jakob Hutter was the
founder of this religion in 1536. They believe in absolute pacifism and
practice community of goods. These goals have resulted in hundreds of years of
reestablishing in different countries seeking the freedom to practice their
beliefs. In the 18th and 19th centuries they settled in
North America. Today their population is around 43,000 in Canada.

There is a division of labour that is arbitrary by age.
Adulthood is reached at the age of 15. The boys and girls become men and women.
The men work in the farming operation Women start working in the kitchen and
are finished at age 45. After this they continue to contribute by working in
the garden, cleaning in the kitchen and by helping with the many tasks for the
communal family.

There are 3 sects within the religion. The Schmiedeleut are
settled in Manitoba. Elsewhere in Western Canada we find the Dariusleut and
Lehreleut. You can distinguish one from the other by the size of the dots on
the women’s scarves called shawls.

I asked the children what they would like others to know
about their colony. Here is what they told me. We want people to know how nice
it is here. We have a wonderful garden, the crops and fields are very good and
we have 3 coulees. Lake Diefenbaker passes through one. We also want people to
know we are nice. We want people to know our name. We are Waldeck Colony! We
would also like to see some recipes and some pictures in the newspaper.

Hutterites are devoutly Christian and Christmas is
celebrated in its true sense. There is no excess of gifts and parties. There
are no elaborate Christmas light displays. It is simply a time to celebrate the
birth of their Saviour, Jesus Christ, and life goes on as usual.

At Waldeck Colony, there are three consecutive days of
church worship beginning on December 25. The church is a simple building
without adornment. The altar is a simple table. There are rows of pews and a
few have cushions for the comfort of the elderly.Each church service is followed by the usual communal meal.
After dinner the children return for Sunday school.

Of course I am very interested in the meals so I asked the
ladies in the kitchen, what do you serve?

A tradition is to have a dinner of goose. Everyone is served
a goose leg with thigh. It is poached in water until tender and served simply
with potatoes and vegetables. All vegetables with the exception of garlic and
celery are from their garden. The younger women admit they prefer the stuffed
chicken dinner to goose. The elders appreciate goose.

Fruitcake is usually made but also may be purchased. Nutmeg
(Eggar), carrot and vanilla cookies are favourites.

Roasted chicken with stuffing is another traditional meal
during this time of quiet celebration. As we all do, they say they just eat too
much food over the Christmas season.

Christmas is also a time for visiting. They might visit
family at another colony or receive guests. There is a modest exchange of gifts
within the home.

I begged these recipes as the women wondered why I would
want recipes that serve 64 people. Initially I agreed and then thought about
all the churches and community groups who plan events such as fowl suppers.
Large recipes are hard to come by these days. They generously shared these two
favourites that caught my eye.

Eggar Cookies(Nutmeg Cookies)

These cookies are made twice each year. They are always made
for Christmas and then once again during the year. I have been warned that if
they are not made properly they can be dry. Usually I find European cookies
much drier than ours.

10 1/2 lb sugar4.8
kg

5 lb margarine2.25
kg

30 eggs

5 tsp vanilla25
mL

10 lb raisins4.5
kg

16 lb flour7.25
kg

5 tsp salt25
mL

1/8 lb baking powder90
g

1/8 lb cinnamon90
g

1/4 lb baking soda180
g

1 1/2 tsp allspice8
g

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg8
g

Simmer raisins in 10 cups (2.4 L) water for 7 minutes. Add
11 cups (2.6 L) cold water and cool well. In a separate bowl cream sugar and
margarine. Add eggs and vanilla. Add raisins with liquid. Mix flour with all
the dry ingredients and sift 3 times then sift into creamed mixture. Drop onto
cookie sheets and bake at 425F (220C).

Orange Cake

This is a cake traditionally also served twice a year. It is
enjoyed at Easter and once during the harvest.

16 1/2 lb sugar7.5
kg

6 3/4 lb nuts3
kg

10 1/2 lb dates4.7
kg

22 1/2 lb four10
kg

6 lb butter2.7
kg

3/4 cup baking soda180
mL

3/4 cup baking powder180
mL

15 lb oranges6.8
kg

3/4 cup vinegar200
mL

3/4 cup vanilla200
mL

5 1/4 lb eggs2.4
kg

8 3/4 quarts milk8.3
L

Grind oranges with peels and put aside 5 cups (1.2 L) for
the icing. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and the rest of the ingredients
except dates and flour. Mix the chopped dates with flour and add. Pour into
cake pans and bake at 350F (175C). When cooled make a butter icing with the
reserved orange added.

21.12.12

We are having a traditional Saskatchewan Christmas with the whole family. I will share some of our recipes here. On Christmas Eve my sister decided to have a Wild Night. No, no, no! It isn't that kind of wild night! We are making some wild game recipes! This dessert of saskatoon berry pie is a natural pairing. This is a berry native to the Canadian prairies and northern American Great Plains.

Saskatoons are a very healthy berry. They are high in antioxidants and fibre. Pie works best if the filling is made in advance and then bake the filled pastry. I made this in advance. I made the pies, froze them, then defrosted in the refrigerator for about 6 hours. Then baked as fresh below.

Serve with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

Saskatoon Berry Pie

4 cups saskatoon berries

3/4 cup sugar, granulated

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup water

Pastry for double crust pie

2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a saucepan, simmer saskatoon berries in water for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice. Stir in granulated sugar mixed with flour.

Whisk yolks and sugar until lemon coloured.In a sauce pan scald the cream with the vanilla seeds and bean.Temper the egg yolks
with this hot milk.Do this by
adding a little at a time while whisking the egg yolks.Eventually you will have added all the
milk.Cook this mixture in a
double boiler until thickened.Cool, strain, churn according to your machine's directions.

18.12.12

This salad has a festive appeal and the phyllo cups can be made in advance. All the recipe names are a link to the recipe on my blog. Just click.Goat Cheese Souffle in Phyllo Cup

Christmas is just around the corner and you are probably
already planning meals. Keeping everyone happy is always stressful especially
if they eat differently than you. There are many people who practice a vegetarian
or semi-vegetarian lifestyle. A vegetarian abstains from eating meat, fish and
seafood and products thereof. Milk and eggs are usually okay but be sure to
check with your guests in advance. My sister grew up beside me on the farm and
for her own reasons has, since a teenager, been vegetarian.

Rather than roll your eyes into the back of your head when
you are presented with a vegetarian guest at your table, just make something
nice that everyone will enjoy. There is usually no need to buy a lot of extra
ingredients. Use vegetable oils and vegetable shortening rather than lard
especially in pie and turkey stuffing. Cook some stuffing outside the bird. Use
vegetable stock, water or milk rather than chicken, turkey or beef stock. Avoid
using the same utensils, cutting boards and pans while you cook vegetarian
beside meat dishes.

Don’t assume that vegetarians will pick vegetables out of a
meat dish or eat fries and vegetables that have been cooked in the same oil as
meats. Be sure you serve all guests equivalent quantity and quality of food.
Don’t assume that a wedge of iceberg lettuce or pasta in boring tomato sauce
will satisfy while others enjoy a full meal.

Avoid the tofu burger and mock meat syndrome. Vegetarians
are not interested in meat substitutes. Read labels. Often there is a fish or
meat product in things like curry sauces and pasta sauces. Remember that
vegetarians eat what non-vegetarians eat except without meat. Pizza, pastas,
crepes, tacos, stews and quiches are easily adapted. Offer lots of vegetable
dishes without meat stock, fresh or frozen fruits, breads, and non-gelatin
desserts. Serve protein rich quinoa rather than rice and add lentils and
legumes for added nutrition.

Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add
chopped onion. Sauté until soft but not browned. Squeeze out all liquid from
the frozen chopped spinach and add to the skillet. Add green onions and
parsley. Cook until all the liquid is evaporated and spinach is dry. Remove
from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Lay out the phyllo pastry on the counter and with kitchen
shears, cut in half lengthwise and then cut each half in half again so that you
have 4 stacks of phyllo strips. Cover with a dry tea towel. Then cover with a
damp tea towel.

I brush the countertop liberally with melted butter so that
you can lay out 6 or 7 strips of phyllo pastry. This prevents strips of pastry
from moving around and also butters the outside at the same time. Brush each
strip with melted butter and top with a second strip of pastry. Just brush the
top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the second strip with butter. Put a tablespoon (15 mL)
of spinach mixture on the bottom end of the pastry strip. Fold the corner over
the spinach mixture to make a triangle. Continue to fold like a flag until the
whole strip is folded into a triangular packet. Brush with melted butter.
Continue with the remainder of pastry and filling.

Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes or until brown and
crispy. These can be frozen unbaked and stored in freezer up to 3 months. Bake
frozen at 375F for about 20 minutes.

This can also be made in a 9” x 13” pan. Spray pan generously with oil. Lay
1 sheet of phyllo in and up the sides of the prepared pan. Brush lightly with
butter.Top with 7 more phyllo
sheets and brush each one with butter. Spread spinach mixture over pastry. Top
with 8 more sheets of phyllo and brush with butter between each, including the
top layer. Roll the overhanging phyllo from the sides to form a border all the
way around. With a thin, sharp knife, cut the pie into squares, but do not cut
through the bottom layer or the filling will leak out. Refrigerate for 30
minutes.

Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven
and cool a few minutes. Cut squares right through to the bottom and serve.
(Adapted from The All New Joy of Cooking)

7.12.12

I had a day off work and felt like playing in the kitchen. I wanted to work with what I had on hand and tried a few new kinds of bread. I made Fougasse with Herbes de Provence. It looks like a leaf shape and tastes like a baguette. I made Cheddar and Jalapeno Bread. It smells great. And finally I made rye bread with a starter. The rye bread recipe was by braille. The others are recipes from Epicurious.

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About Me

By education, I am a home economist and by interest, I am an avid cook. I taught high school home ec for a little while, belonged to a dinner club for at least 17 years (same group!) and recently began teaching some cooking classes. I am a foodie at heart and always bring back a bag full of groceries from where I travel. It makes for an interesting pantry! All of the above happened while I lived in Calgary for 35 years. I spent 5 months housesitting in Tennessee and lapped up all the Southern cooking ideas.
Now I am back in Canada and bought a house in a little city on the Saskatchewan prairies.